Underhanded Measures
by Down n Dirty
Summary: Young Nate and Sully. Old friends prove none too friendly, now Sully's in a bind and Nate's even worse. How will they survive an old grudge?
1. Chapter 1

_Another Uncharted fic. Young Nate and younger Sully. This is pretty soon after they first meet. POVS will pass between Nate and Sully._

Underhanded Measures_  
_

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬۩۞۩۞۩۞۩۞۩▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

Chapter 1_  
_

_Pedro's Bar_ was a dive. Sandwiched between the third _Senor Frog_ within the block and a churro shop, a forgettable little joint. The walls are half coated by the stains of too many cigarettes and too little space. It reeks of both booze and misery. Gloom seeps from the ground up. The whole foundation has the feeling of sinking and the boards of the floor move at will. Ancient, that's how the place feels, like it should have been condemned ages ago. Old chairs, tables and patrons that look even worse than the settings around them, are all pushed against the walls. It's unwelcoming and intently so.

It's not the kind of place Sully hoped for. Expected maybe, but he'd always wished that cliche bars like this one could become a thing of the past. A little bit of class never killed anyone. It's practical though and right now that's more important. Even if it does smell like an outhouse.

A clunky fan swings in rhythm with an old fashioned jukebox that skips every few seconds or so. It's a old Spanish album that seems to loop three songs. Two of the blades are missing. The cords holding the fixture threaten to snap at any moment.

"Really, Sully? _This_? We came halfway around the world for this?"

Sullivan or rather 'Sully' looks over at his new charge in slight amusement. The fifteen year old is several inches shorter than Sully and he has to look down to address him. His thick brow reflects the humor in his voice. "Sorry, you were expecting maybe _The Four Seasons_?"

Nathan Drake shakes his head. His floppy, brown hair flies with the movement. "No, I was just expecting higher digs. I thought we were moving up in the world, not down." He makes a grandiose hand sweep that encompasses the pathetically run down bar. Sully chuckles and throws a hand on his bony shoulder. "Well sorry to burst your bubble, kid. In this life, you can't be too picky." The hypocrisy isn't lost on him, he just doesn't voice his own disgust.

It's amazing how quickly Nate's managed to adapted to a partner, all things considered. It's taken awhile to get used to being around someone so many hours a day, but Nate's a good kid, for the most part. He knew the teenager was smart, but he was surpassing even Sully'_s_ expectations. The orphan had gone from being audacious, to more shrewd. His rash, throat-cut demeanor had become less evident as the days passed.

"In this crap hole-" Nate looks around, his blue eyes listless. "I don't think so."

Sully releases a breath. Clearly, the kid still had some room for improvement. He lowers his voice so only Nate can hear him. "Cool it kid, I'd rather we keep our heads on our shoulders for now. These guy are probably all out on parole."

They move past the entrance and a dilapidated sombrero. They maneuver through the crowded space as best as they can, careful not to accidentally touch anyone. It proves none too difficult as no one even acknowledges them, too busy in their drinks and cards. The sight gets more gruesome, the further in they go. There are more missing body parts and black teeth in one place than Sully's ever seen. The barkeep is the only one who looks up. His meaty hands still momentarily, he sizes them with his one good eye, then dismisses them. He continues his pointless task of cleaning a filthy glass with an even filthier towel.

Speaking of filthy. Sully praised Nate for his fast learning, but the kid could do well with some lessons in grooming. He needed a haircut and a good long shower to wipe away the eternal grime that seemed to follow him. His newest shirt had already gathered quite a bit of wear and more than a couple holes. His jeans weren't much better. It came with their line of work, the wear and tear, but they didn't have to look like they'd just rolled around in a dumpster. He glanced at his own printed button down shirt. His mustache and hair were groomed, but they both needed new duds.

Nate breaks the silence by hitting a lose board with his worn tennis shoe. He notices Sully looking at him. "So who are we looking for anyway?" he asks.

"Don't worry, you'll know when we see them." Sully assures him.

"You know this person?" Nate sounds a bit worried. Sully doesn't blame him. Repeat acquaintances are a rare and often disastrous thing in this business. If it wasn't for the urgency of the message and the guilt still trapped some where in the conscious he wasn't sure he still had, Sully would have blown it off. Now that Nate mentioned it, Sully hadn't been completely honest about his previous relationship with the person they were meeting. Sully was quite the betting man and was convinced his evasion was somehow going to bite him in the ass.

"Maybe we should sit and wait? I don't think they're here yet." He suggests, interrupting his own thoughts. It's been a hell of a day and the air is stifling. The idea of relaxing for a bit is too tempting to resist.

Nate nods. He looks at the bar and a smile makes it's way to the side of his mouth. "Yeah, alright. I'll get some tequila."

Sully laughs, stopping him. "Yeah, I don't think so."

"Oh come Sully, it's Mexico, there's no such thing as drinking age." Nate argues good naturedly. "Besides, isn't it a rule that when you go to Mexico, you have to drink tequila."

Sully raised an amused brow. "Read that somewhere, have you? Well sorry kid, it aint happening."

"God, you're such an old fart." Nate grumbles.

Sully let's the _old_ slide. "If you think I'm carrying your drunk, scrawny ass back to the hotel, then you're sadly mistaken."

Nate folds his arms. "Please, it'd take more than one shot of tequila to even get me tipsy."

Sully laughs at his bravado. The kid has no idea. "Clearly you've never had Mexican tequila."

Nate doesn't argue, "Whatever, I'm gonna go take a piss then."

Sully makes a face. "Lovely. Do yourself a favor, don't touch anything." He warns halfheartedly.

Nate gives a gruff _yeah, yeah _and stalks off_._

Sully's learning the dark haired teenager's little ticks and mannerisms. Nate's a very outwardly emotional individual, but also has the ability to play with people's perceptions of him. It's come in quite handy on more than one occasion. The only problem is sometimes Sully doesn't even realize he's doing it. The kids quite the actor, when he wants to be.

The air is hotter than hell, stiff and the damn fan is about as useless as tits on a man. Sully yearns to light a cigar but his last one had busted in Serbia and he hasn't had the means to replace it yet. The bar's walls are etched by poorly nearly illegible English words that are mostly misspelled. His finger traces the table, finding even more carved there. "Damn kids." he mumbles with humor.

He stills when he feels a breath on his cheek, it pulls him back straight in his chair. "Good to see you, Mr Sullivan." A silky voice says from behind him. It sends a shiver up his spine.

"Fiby." he breathes. There's a laugh. Her accent is heavy as she whispers. "I see you have not forgotten me, Victor." There's a cold breeze when her warm touch leaves. She moves into his view and across to the other chair. "May I?" she asks.

"Please." He motions. She bows and lowers herself into the chair with a feline like grace. She removes her coat. Her liner is as thick as always around her hypnotizing eyes. Raven locks pulled back to showcase her exotic, Egyptian features. If possible, she's gotten even more gorgeous. She looks out of place in the old, wooden chair against the foul words on the decaying walls.

Her surroundings don't seem to bother he in the least. She flicks a hair from her shoulder. "This is a pleasant surprise, Victor. I half expected you not to come." Her eyes hold a certain amount of fondness. "I'm glad you did."

"Yeah, me too." He'd forgotten what Fiby did to him. Just being in her presence was enough to remind him what a force she was. Her body spoke of perfection but it was her wit that really made her one of a kind. Sully had met his share of women and not one of them could compare to Fiby Demyan's beauty. Her eyes were like liquid pools of exotic nectar that drowned many a man into submission.

The memory of just how well makes him sober. He leans forward. "What's this all about, Fiby? The seedy bar, isn't really like you."

Fiby shrugs."I thought you'd be more comfortable."

That's not true and they both know it. "Fiby, what's going on? Your message was urgent, but you look pretty fine to me." A little _too_ fine, in fact.

Fiby tsks."So quick to the draw, Victor." Her plush lips move upward. "That's always been your problem."

He keeps on, refusing to rise to the bait. "Let's lose the bull Fiby. I really don't feel like dancing around until you tell me what it is you want."

Fiby studies him for a minuet. She sighs in resignation. "When did you get so boring, Victor?"

His face doesn't give away more than a tick of indignation. He's not boring, he's simply learned. Fiby had been one hell of a humbling nightmare.

Before either of them can continue Nate returns. Sully realizes at the strained look Nate's giving, he's not alone. There's a tall, tan skinned man behind him. His hand is tight on Nate's shoulder. Sully feels his stomach drop at the realization of who it is. Fiby puts a hand on his own. "Don't worry Victor. He's with me."

"I'll bet he is." Sully can't help his sudden irritation but honestly, he should have expected this. Fiby's message mentioned nothing about this asshole, probably for good reason. She knew he'd never come.

"Miss me, Sullivan?" The man asks. His thick hair was shoved in a ponytail. His long face reminded Sully of a snake's. Pretty fitting.

Sully kept his forced smile light. "Ricardo, you son of a bitch, How long has it been?"

Ricardo doesn't share the pleasantries. "You know exactly how long it's been,_ eres bastardo_." He gives Nate a rough shake. "I found this kid wandering in places he shouldn't be, I think he belongs to you."

Sully feels his blood boil. He's ready to tell Ricardo to get his filthy hands off Nate, but Fiby beats him to it.

"Ricardo, that's enough. Let the boy go." Fiby's voice smothers Riccardo's flame. Ricardo growls, but pushes Nate roughly away from him. "Although this does bring up an important question." Her tone lowers a fraction. "Just who is this young man, Victor?" Her candy apple lips find there way to Nate, her eyes capture him and he freezes. She continues. "I must admit we've been watching you two for quite some time. You seem awfully_-close_."

Nate answers before Sully can. "My name's Nathan Drake and I have to tell you, being manhandled by your overripe baboon here is not something I appreciate. It's a little creepy that a grown man follows a boy to the bathroom don't you think?" Nate points at Ricardo with disgust. The man glowers at Nate in distaste.

Fiby retains her amusement. She takes him in and taps a well manicured nail against her painted cheek. "Well Nathan, I can honestly say it's a pleasure. I'm Fiby Demyan, I'm sure Victor's told you all about me." She ignores the _actually no_ he mutters and continues. "And this is my partner Ricardo Lopez. I'm afraid I must apologize sometimes he's a bit rough, he's tends to be a bit paranoid as well. I assure you it won't happen again."

Ricardo twitches, but doesn't say anything. Sully's not sure when she started referring to him as her 'partner' but decides it really doesn't matter. He sighs. "Nate is my _associate_."

Fiby laughs as if it's the most ridiculous thing she's ever heard. "Of course he is." Nate looks ruffled, annoyed. She pats the seat next to her. Nate's brow twitches, his eyes remained fixed on her as if sizing her up. "Well, come on Mr. Drake. I don't bite." Fiby says coolly. Nate glances at him and all Sully can do is shrug. Nate takes the chair but leans in the opposite direction.

"So," Sully starts once Ricardo slams into the last chair. They're all around the table now and Sully feels the need to ask something. "You've been watching us?" It's a blatant accusation. He doesn't like spying.

Fiby smiles and all but purrs. "Precautions, Victor. You know one can never be too careful about the company you keep."

"That's a two way street, sweetheart," he reminds her.

She waves him vaguely away. "I'm simply protecting myself. Something you've taught me well, Victor."

He grits his teeth. "I could say the same thing."

Ricardo groans and hits the table irritably. "Get on with it already!"

Fiby purses her lips, she leans forward exposing a great amount of cleavage in the tight and low cut top she's wearing. "How do you feel about taking a little trip around the town, Victor?" Her voice drops with the word _trip_. Sully's brow raises. He shares a quick look at Nate who appears guarded but thoughtful. He makes a quick motion with his head. Sully takes it as a _let's see where this goes_.

Fiby looks amused, he ignores her knowing smirk. "What are we talking about Fiby?"

"Ah, there's the Victor Sullivan I was looking for." She applauds. Her eyes harden. "I'm talking about the _Museo Nacional de Antropología_."

"The Anthropology Museum?" Nate asks.

Fiby's smile widens. She nods at him. "That's right."

Sully looks between them. Anthropology Museum? "What about it?" he asks.

Nate's eyes don't leave Fiby."Well aside from being guarded like Fort Knox, it's one of the most popular museums in the world." He looks suspicious. "If your planning something-"

Fiby cuts him off with a shake of her head. "Nothing so bold. I've never had the chance to visit, even after all the months I've been here. I was just suggesting it might be nice if you could join me on a little tour of the place."

Nate snorts. "Aint nothing little about that place." He mumbles.

"Fiby, we didn't come all this way for a damn field trip," Sully grumbles tiredly.

Her hand catches his again. "Humor me Victor." Warmth seeps from her touch. "It'll be worth it, I promise."

_Famous last words_ lies unsaid but still true.

* * *

The previous month or so had been so painstakingly slow and uneventful, Nate thought he was going to die of boredom. Sully receiving the letter with a return address in Mexico had raised both suspicions and intrigue between them. Nate was secretly thankful for it. Liverpool was getting old. He was itching to get away from the bland hotel food and Sully's buddy, Billy Sands reoccurring nightly one man show. The letter was delivered to the hotel, perfectly addressed to one Victor Sullivan. Nate hadn't questioned Sully's declaration that they were going to Mexico, although now he was regretting it.

He didn't trust Fiby Demyan. The woman was gorgeous, Nate would give her that. Her eyes were large and almond shaped, her lips cherry red. She received leers and stares at the bar, but in the grandeur of the museum, the gawking became even more apparent. She was more of a spectacle than half the exhibits around them, causing more than one double take from some poor sap with no chance. For all the beauty however, there was something about her coy, cool mannerisms he didn't buy. Looks didn't make up for the fact that there was something unsettling about her.

Then there was Ricardo. The creep with the hand of steel and no idea what personal space was. Nate had felt his eyes on him at the bar when he'd grabbed his shoulder and forcefully pulled him back to the table. He realized it was paranoia that caused Ricardo to do this, he thought Nate was leaving for backup or something. If the bruise on his shoulder wasn't enough, the look on Sully's face confirmed that Ricardo Lopez was indeed bad news.

The _Museo Nacional de Antropología_ is pretty awesome_, _but he still doesn't understand why they're here. Normally seeing Aztec, Mayan and ancient Grecian artifacts would be more than enough to entertain him, but right now with Fiby attached to Sully like she is, he feels like nothing but a third wheel. Ricardo's in a worse spot as the fourth wheel that fell off at some point and was never retrieved. Fiby lectures them on the different pieces like they should be impressed. Her voice and annoying accent are starting to grate on Nate's nerves.

Ricardo's even worse, they guy is invasive without actually being so. He's watching Sully in a calculating way and his dark gaze doesn't look too friendly. He scowls every so often. He looks lost in the scheme of things. It's obvious he doesn't give two shits about anything around him, he's here to stalk them. The guy's a lout.

The _Atzec Stone of the Sun_ is what really captures Fiby's attention. She talks about it animatedly. Sully looks politely interested as she points to different aspects that only someone fascinated by century's old history would find remotely interesting. Nate knows that unless the stone suddenly spouts jewels or gold, Sully's couldn't care less. The guy's not one for history lessons that don't involve treasure.

The day pretty much continues that way and by the time they leave, Nate's pretty annoyed. The place was huge and he'll never get the time evading Mr. Creepy pants back.

Sully voices his own impatience. "Fiby, that was really...informative, but what was the point?"

She gives him a cryptic smile followed by a slight playful push. Nate's about to vomit from the affection in her eyes. "Oh Victor, can't you just enjoy a little culture?"

Sully sounds tired but manages a smile. "Fiby, I just spent fifty pesos to see a bunch of old crap in a museum. That's the opposite of enjoyable."

"It's always about money with you, isn't it?" Fiby shakes her head.

Sully gives his best _duh_ look. "Well yeah."

"Is that all you care about?" She asks. It's so quiet that Nate almost doesn't hear it. She sounds genuinely upset.

Sully sighs and runs a hand through his sleek hair where the beginnings of gray form against his temples. "Fiby-"

She stops him with a small wave. 'It's alright Victor. I know some things will never change."

Ricardo clears his throat. Forgotten and annoyed, he glares and with hostility says. "Fiby, we've got to get back to the hotel." Fiby regards him with slight irritation. "I suppose you're right." Her eyes flit back to Sully. "I'll meet you..." she gives him a sudden hug and leans close to whisper something. She pulls away. "..later."

Ricardo gives one last scowl before he disappears in the crowd, Fiby follows somewhat reluctantly. As soon as they're out of sight Nate can't help himself. He explodes. "What in the _hell_ was that all about, Sully?"

Sully only looks as confused as he feels. He shrugs. "Ya got me kid? I'm a lost as you-"

"Not exactly. You seem to know Ms. Demyan awfully well." He reminds him.

Sully looks away, no doubt to hide his smirk. Horney, old bastard. "Yeah, okay, you've got me there. I swear I had no idea about Ricardo though. I don't know why she'd be hanging around that ass wipe after-"  
He stops and removes something from his pocket. "What the hell?" It's a slip of paper. He stares at it. "Fiby must have slipped it." he mumbles.

Nate looks over his shoulder at the familiar writing. Nothing but a time and address. Tomorrow, five thirty, at some hotel. Nate can't help but rolls his eyes. "Talk about a booty call."

"Or, maybe something more." Sully adds sounding perplexed. "Fiby whispered something about coming alone and to be _extra_ careful. Maybe she's in trouble?"

Nate knows Sully's going to go, even with all the signs pointing to an ambush. He gives one last stand in an attempt to warn him. "This is probably a setup, you know."

Sully sighs resignedly. "Maybe, but I can't just-."

Nate waves him off. "Yeah, I know." Taking chances, it's what they did.

"Let's get the hell out of here." Sully says. They head back to the hotel and Nate laughs when Sully complains about his feet hurting from all the _damn_ walking. "Maybe it's time for a wheelchair there, _grandpa_."

Nate barely escapes the swipe at his head.

* * *

TBC?


	2. Chapter 2

_Wow, so glad to see people actually want me to continue this. I'm having fun writing it. Let me know what you think!_

Underhanded Measures_  
_

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬۩۞۩۞۩۞۩۞۩▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

Chapter 2

The plane continues to shake even as they pull a sharp left. Everything in the cabin, including Sully's teeth, rattles with the engine. He's strapped in the tapped up seat, but it hardly helps him feel secure. He feels like he's been on a bad carnival ride that's lasted well over four hours and wants nothing more than to get off.

There's a laugh on his left. "Thought you were a man of the sky, Sullivan?" Miguel Lopez jeers, throwing a hand on his shoulder.

"I was in the Navy, Lopez." He corrects. Miguel shrugs in a _same difference_ kind of way.

"Although I know my way around a plane." He continues, loudly and pointedly. "Unlike _Hot Shot_ McGraw here." He gestures to the pilot's chair.

As if hearing his comment the plane suddenly drops in altitude, sending them back in their seats. Sully's just waiting for the inevitable nosedive into the ocean. Nobody would probably ever find their bodies.

Miguel, seeing Sully's look of terror, smirks, leans forward and yells something to the front in Spanish. The pilot, who's name it turns out is Carlos, throws his own laugh of amusement and Miguel joins him once more. The plane jerks upward then finds a reasonable altitude and steadiness. Sully waits for a moment then realizes the guy actually could fly reasonably, when he tried.

They were messing with him. He realizes this and waves them both off tiredly. "Jack offs." He mumbles.

"Aw come on Sullivan, you know this is gonna be one hell of a payoff. Big bucks for the piece and I heard the girl who runs the tours of the place is quite the _mamacita_." Miguel wags his pointed brows.

Sully snorts. "To you, my friend, every woman's a _mamacita_."

Miguel's young, chiseled face doesn't deny this. He instead beams and shrugs. "What can I say? The ladies love me."

Sully crosses his arms and smirks. "And just how is Rosa these days?" he asks.

Miguel innocently responds with a confused brow raise, "Who?"

Sully looks at him and they both can't help but laugh. He slaps the man affectionately on the back. Miguel is a hell of a guy. He's a little bit bastard, but a good guy at heart.

He's just the type of man Sully needs for the job. He is a charmer, a bright young man with an even brighter future...

_My, how quickly things change. All in the blink of an eye..._

_...  
_

Sully opens his eyes. His breath escapes in a choking gasp. What the hell? His eyes focus in on the darkness of the room. His heart beats so fast he can barely register anything else. Then he remembers where he is. A moment passes before he groans. "Goddammit." he mumbles.

Why would he dream of Miguel now? The man hadn't crossed Sully's mind in years and now coming here, seeing Ricardo, he's suddenly in his dreams? It was a bad sign. His subconscious was playing tricks on him and Sully didn't like it. Burying unpleasant memories was something he prided himself in. His recently rediscovered conscious was really turning into quite the bitch.

He coughs, the hot air burns like fire in his throat. There's no air conditioning in the room and the outside air would just make the suffocating feeling worse. He reaches for something to help quench his parched throat. His hands grope the nightstand until he finds a musty bottle of water. The water's stale, but he doesn't even notice. It does the job and one swallow later, he can suddenly breathe again.

His head falls as he sits on the side of the bed. The mattress is shit, like everything else in the hotel. It barely hold his weight and feels like it's filled with nothing but cotton balls. Their room is decorated like a mariachi band threw up on everything, the walls are an off putting shade of green and the blankets feel like straw against the skin. Everything is old and probably from the fifties when it was built. The hotel came pretty cheep and just happened to be within their budget, now Sully knows why.

Sully sighs. Fiby, his thoughts run back to her. Was she really in trouble or was this an elaborate set up? He owes the woman enough to find out, one way or another. Not that he likes the idea of eating a bullet, but for Sully retribution wouldn't be unwarranted. The woman had been through hell because of him.

The main problem now was what he was going to do with Nate. There was no way that he could bring him. Fiby had said come alone and he knew she meant it. He's pretty lenient about things when it comes to Nate but he wasn't putting him in danger, especially about something that didn't involve him. Sully putting his own life in danger was enough, no sense getting them both killed. Convincing Nate of this was going to be easier said than done.

Sully shakes his head and peers in the gloom of the room at the barely defined lump on the other bed. Nate, Nate would be fine. He just hopes Nate won't do anything foolish and come looking for him _if_ something does happen. He'd warn him not to, but telling Nathan Drake _not_ to do something was all the more reason for the kid to do it. A challenge of sorts. Sully had never met anybody so obstinately stubborn.

Sully downs the rest of the water bottle. He throws the empty plastic container in the trash, he wasn't going to do well with no sleep so he lays back down. He's not sure how long he's down but when his eyes open again it's because of a pulling sound and the light from the sun beams directly in his vision. He blinks a few times and rolls over. "Goddamn, that's bright." he mumbles.

There's another rustle from the side of the bed. "Sorry got tired of the dark, I think the lamps busted." Nate pushes the switch to prove his point. The curtain must have been made of burlap, it looked like it weighed a ton and blocked everything, especially the sun. Something Sully had quite appreciated.

"Warn me next time." He shouts, his voice grates like sandpaper.

Nate snorts. "Yeah sure, Next time, I'll wake you up to let you know I'm opening the curtain. Sounds like a plan."

Sully groans something that might offended any other fifteen year old, but Nate just laughs. Then he notices the plate in Nate's hands.

"What the hell is that?" He takes in the mess of food across the surface of the plate in disgust. Most of it looks inedible and crystallized with glaze. Nate shrugs, looks down at the plate and shrugs again, "Dunno." He see Sully's look. "It's good." he says defensively.

Whatever it is, Nate pops another one in his mouth. Sully pulls himself up and scrubs at his face. He feels like shit, even after the couple hours he managed to catch, with thankfully no trace of Miguel haunting him. Nate throws the plate under his nose. "Sure you don't want some?" he offers.

Sully holds a hand and pulls back while shaking his head. "Yeah, I think I'll pass. It's all yours kid." If he couldn't spell or identify food he wasn't putting it in his mouth, simple as that.

Nate shrugs. "Your loss."

Sully doubts that, but a sudden thought makes him grin. There must be a good reason Nate's eating that stuff like it's gold when it looks like dog shit. "Did Carlota make...whatever that is?" He tries to sound innocent.

Carlota, the woman at the desk, had taken Nate's eye. Or rather the tattoo on her left breast had. Sully could hardly blame him, the woman was a nice sight for sore eyes and seemed to want to baby poor, scruffy looking boys. She probably assumed he was Nate's father or uncle or something and that they were on the run. Not far off really. Either way she offered Nate snacks last night and apparently 'breakfast' this morning. Continental breakfast wasn't provided so Nate must have seen this as a sign of affection. Funny how Nate hadn't taken the food he'd offered him when they first met, until he knew it wasn't poisoned.

At his question, Nate looks both defensive and sheepish. "Yeah." he admits, then swallows and frowns. He holds the plate closer to his chest. "So what?"

Sully just shakes his head and tries not to smile too big. At the odd look Nate gives him he stretches and changes the subject. "What time is it anyway?"

Nate observes his watch. "A little after nine." he responds.

Sully nods, "I guess I should hit a shower."

Nate, who looks relatively clean for once, shakes his head. "Good luck, that things nothing but a a couple of drips from a hole in the wall." Sully hopes he's kidding, but somehow doubts it.

The mirror in the bathroom looks like it's been cleaned with grease, Sully can barely register a reflection past a colored blob. He splashes some water on his face. The shower really is a joke, he's better off cleaning in the sink. He manages anyways. He leaves after spending twenty minutes too long trying to do the impossible task of rinsing in a trickle of water. He towels off his hair and catches Nate watching some static television on the old set that displays a green tint. Nate looks like he's trying to follow the story, but Sully knows it's a lost cause.

"Telenovelas aren't' something you should waste your brain on kid, just give it up." He says as he passes.

Nate points at the screen. 'Is that man trying to marry his mother?"

Sully gazes at the screen. He smirks as the man on the screen is smacked by what's clearly another man in a dress. "Try his father." he says, before turning and riffling through his suitcase for a clean shirt.

Nate makes a strangled noise and turns the dial to another channel. Sully finishes dressing and wonders why the hell he bothered with the shower when he can feel the lathered layer of film still on his skin. "Here's hoping the next job's for a damn princess in a palace or something." He doesn't darken the mood with the thought that their may not be a next time.

"What, Fiby's to low brow for you now?" Nate asks. He's settled on the news and the sound is a soft blurb in the background.

Sully is taken off guard at the bitter tone and looks at Nate's suddenly tense frame, silhouetted in green by the television. He plasters a smile and laughs. "If Fiby's the one footing the bill for the place, I'll call her a damn queen."

Nate sighs. "What is it with you and women?" he asks.

Sully raises a brow. He muses the question not sure what Nate means. "Is this a birds and the bees type question? Sorry kid I'm gonna pass on that. I'm sure there's a book or..."

"Shut up." Nate rolls his eyes. "I meant your taste in women." He glances at Sully expectantly. All Sully can do is shrug. There was nothing to really say."Sorry kid, sometimes you find a rotten dame. Though, you've got to admit, Fiby's a step up from Marlow."

Nate's look hardens. "A chimpanzee is a step up from Marlow." he mumbles darkly.

Sully's stuck between amusement and feeling slighted. Marlow was a bitch, but she did have a sweet ass. He didn't think Nate would appreciate this information. "Look Nate, in all honesty. I didn't know Fiby was going to pull something like this. She's not all bad." He doesn't know who he's trying to convince, but Nate hardly looks taken by it.

"Guess tonight will be the judge of that." Nate crosses his arms. Sully sighs. He can see the fire blaze in his eyes. Nate's seen this coming, the argument about staying behind. He's becoming too accustomed to things or Sully really is more transparent than he thought.

"Nate..." he begins.

Nate interrupts him. "Save it Sully. I already know what your going to say."

"Yeah, well at the risk of sounding like a broken record, I'll say it again. You've got to stay here, kid."

"While you march off to your death." Nate states.

"We don't know-"

"Oh please, open your eyes Sully." Nate's voice cracks and Sully doesn't bother to tease him about it. Puberty was bad enough without the need for snarks. He's more surprised by the furious looks he's receiving. "You're walking into the very definition of a trap."

Sully remains calm. "I can handle myself, Nate."

Nate's eyes flit away. He huffs, "I know that.."

"Look the concern is great and all..." Sully trails off, unsure of what he's really trying to say.

Nate opens his mouth. Probably to retort something about not being concerned, but he can't seem to finish his thought. It's oddly sentimental and yet Sully really wants him to snap out of it. "Look I promise I'll be careful. You just stay here out of sight, until I get back." Again, Sully finds himself longing for a cigar. He's going to have to find one soon.

"And if you don't." Nate asks quietly.

Sully sighs, earlier thoughts revealing themselves. He refuses to address them to Nate. "I said when, not_ if_."

They both fall silent. Nate doesn't argue and Sully takes that to be some sort of agreement.

There's a snap, as the television goes to nothing but fuzz. Sully raises a hand to smack the side of the box. It gives a few jolts of static before dying completely. "Damn piece of crap." He catches Nate's surprised look then rolls his hands to continue. "What was I saying?"

"That you think we should open the mini bar now that you've broken our one source of entertainment." Nate slips in with a smirk and a raised brow.

Sully smirks back, that's why he likes Nate so much. He knew how to side step any unwanted emotional outburst as well as Sully did. "You honestly think a place with a no air conditioning and a mideval shower has a mini bar?"

Nate blinks."Um, yeah."

"You've still got a lot to learn kid." Sully shakes his head.

He can only hope he's still around to teach him.

* * *

The bed moves nosily as Nate continues to thump his feet against it. He can tell Sully's getting annoyed by the slight tick in the man's face. He hasn't told Nate to stop yet though, so his mind is clearly elsewhere or he's feeling more than a little guilty. What kind of person tells their partner to stay behind while they blindly charge into foreseen doom? Sully had never struck him as the martyr type, but he was playing the part all too well.

Nate watches Sully prepare for the most obvious con in history with an unwarranted feeling of satisfaction. "Make sure it's loaded." he reminds lightly. The magnum halts in Sully hands for a moment, the man looks at Nate before he tucks it under his shirt in the back, hidden from sight.

Nate's not holding back. He's pissed, irritated and feels more like a child than Sully's ever made him feel. He feels useless, but mostly like Sully doesn't trust him. Trying to pry information from an unrelenting Sully was like hitting you head against a rock. Pointless and left you with nothing but a headache. "Don't want you to get shot in the back." He continues.

Sully's face is drawn and tired, but he doesn't say anything.

"Cause nobodies going to be watching it." He adds. He knows he's too snide and probably is acting like a child, but right now he doesn't care.

Sully mumbles something that Nate doesn't quite catch. There's no doubt in his mind, it's about him. The man paces for a moment, looking like he might be arguing with himself. Nate's seen him do this before on rare occasions when Sully's at the end of his rope. Got the jitters, so to speak.

Nate lets him do this for awhile then notices the light dimming outside. He sighs. "You should go. Don't want to be late."

Sully glances at him, then the sky for confirmation. He sucks in a breath. "Yeah." his voice is tight for non use. He clears it. "Look kid..."

Nate holds a hand. "Be careful, stay out of sight, keep the gun close and the door and window locked. I guess I should also add don't talk to strangers or take candy from strange men in overcoats claiming they know you, right?"

Sully blue eyes blaze in the darkening room. "I'm serious Nate." Nate can tell he really is. He gives him a reassuring smile he doesn't feel. "So am I." he assures him.

Sully hesitates before giving a curt nod. "Just wait for me okay. I'll try to call you if anything comes up. Just be ready, either way."

Nate almost laughs. Call him how? As he's running away from gunfire? He notices Sully's eyes on the gun next to him. Nate grabs it unconsciously and pushes the safety lock off. He holds it loosely but purposely. "Yeah, sure." He mumbles to his shirt.

Sully gives the room a final once over. Concern, that's the one emotion Nate can make out. Concern for Nate, himself or otherwise, it doesn't matter. It only proves Sully's earlier reassurance as completes and utter bull. Sully's nervous and that makes Nate nervous. He can't show it though.

"Kid...be careful."

Nate nods. "You too." He says.

He means it too.

...

It's about ten minuets past when Nate finally decides it's safe to move. Mirroring Sully's earlier movements, he puts the small handgun in the back of his jeans. Making sure the object isn't too noticeable, he hides it under his shirt. He can only offer a soft "S_orry Sully",_ before heading towards the window.

After three attempts he finally manages to yank it open. It protests loudly, squealing and sending forth years worth of dust that forms a thick cloud around him. He sneezes twice before letting the particles settle back on the withered frame.

Trying to be as quiet as possible, he cautiously steps onto the frame. He looks down then takes a deep breath and drops as he turns to catch the outer sill. His feet dangle, fingers supporting his weight as he glances around, considering were he should go next. A large pipe catches his eye. It's on the building across from him and not too far.

Reaching with one hand he propels his body forward and catches the rim in one fluid jump. His breath hits hard in his chest at the initial landing, but after a moment of deep concentration he manages to scale the object. He heads up, towards the roof, spotting a rain gutter he can use. It proves more tedious and fragile than the pipe. He tries to be gentle but can feel it strain under his weight. Just before it can detach from the building, he reaches the roof, pulling himself up in one swift motion.

The roof's thick texture helps ground his feet and he moves quickly to the other side, where he'll get a better view of the city. He scans the crowd. Sully can't have gone far. Sure enough, he spots the awful mint green shirt and dark hair of one Victor Sullivan. He pictures the way Fiby says Victor like it's got a _W_ instead of _V_ and shudders.

Sully's pace is unrushed and casual. No one would suspect the man was doing anything aside from taking a light stroll. Nate knows better, Sully's aware of everyone and everything around him. Nate stays further back at the thought, wouldn't do well to get caught this early.

The streets are narrow, unpaved, and uphill. As are the buildings framing it. Nate spends most of his time fighting gravity as he slowly and carefully continues alongside Sully. He stays up high and several feet behind. He has an odd feeling of deja vu, following the other man. This time he's even more determined not to get caught. He'd end his own life, before letting that happen. That or die of embarrassment.

He's not sure how long they keep at it, Sully leading and him following, but the sun continues to fall lower and lower into the horizon. His feet catch more than one uneven shingle and he stumbles, but never falls.

The buildings grow farther apart. His stride quickens and he's forced to to jump even further, using hanging clothesline when necessary, just to catch up. He accidental over jumps one and knocks over an empty bucket. He cringes, the racket as it falls is way too loud for someone not to notice. Especially Sully.

He fears he's spotted and ducks behind a giant wooden plank when Sully turns around. He peeks out slowly, Sully pauses for a moment but merely continues on.

Nate's heart continues to thump in his ears before he breathes a sigh of relief. He pulls back out then notices that Sully has stopped completely. Nate knows why, the man has to know he's being followed and was waiting for the opportunity to corner his stalker in front of...Nate's vision focuses in on the giant building in front of Sully. Oh.

Guessing by the elaborate looking building, this must be the place. He watches Sully carefully observe the building then notices him move towards the back, not the front of the building. He must be looking for another way in.

Nate will give him a few minuets before he follows.

* * *

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

_Next chapter...Thanks for reviews and enjoy._

Underhanded Measures_  
_

* * *

Chapter 3_  
_

The iron gate isn't something Sully enjoys climbing. He hasn't done this in awhile. He sighs, perhaps he was letting Nate do too much of the physical work. He's already tired and only halfway up. Then he stops to think. Just what the hell is he doing anyway? Would it really matter if he took the back or front? Was he really going to get the upper hand by sneaking around? Who knew? For whatever reason about twenty minuets ago, he'd thought it was the perfect plan. Now, with his aching arms and unsteady breathing, not so much.

The element of surprise, that's what he wanted. Sully was good at that, usually. Right now however, he was probably making more racket than a cat in heat. Nobody stops or has seen him yet, so Sully figures he has to be doing something right. He counts the floors as he rises under each balcony. He's only got one more to go. It's a shame really, the hotel is very nice, he almost feels bad about defacing it's structure in anyway. He's already lost and loosened several bricks in the process of his ascent.

He doesn't even have to worry about finding which room it is. Fiby's waiting for him. Her arms are draped over the railing as she casually smokes a cigarette. Her eyes move down to greet him with a bemused expression.

"Good evening, Victor." she says. Her lips threaten to smile and all Sully can do is grumble into the ivy he's using to climb. He's not so surprised or alarmed as he his pissed. All this work, sweat, and tears, and for what? Stealth had gotten him diddly squat in the end.

He pulls himself onto the railing before collapsing onto the hard floor below. Fiby stares on in amusement.

"Yeah, don't help or anything." He mumbles to himself. His dignity is long gone and he can't help the annoyance at having his plan foiled before it even began.

"I didn't want to emasculation you, Victor. You seemed quite..capable." Fiby laughs.

Sully gives her a half glare and holds his hands to show he needs to catch his breath. Yep, he was gonna have to keep himself more active from now on. "Save the flattery, babe. I'm not falling for it."

"Again." Fiby adds for him.

He shakes his head. "Dammit Fiby, now's really not the time."

Fiby raises a brow. "Do you need a glass of water, or perhaps I should call the paramedics.."

"No and no." Sully snaps. Fiby just shrugs and pulls her shawl closer over her tan shoulders.

Sully manages to fully right himself before glancing around. He's not sure when he expected the gunfire or assault, but right about now would be as good as any. He doesn't see any weapon on her, but Fiby could be hiding one, same as he.

"Where's Ricardo?" he asks.

Fiby's eyes move to the fading sun. "Out," she says. Her voice is hollow. Sully tries to read her blank expression but fails, "Out?" he asks. "Out where?"

"Away from here." she answers cryptically. He continues to study her strong profile before she turns to him with a smile. "You didn't think I was going to be alone did you?"

Sully doesn't answer, his silence is enough. She nods understandably. "Of course you didn't." she says quietly.

He throws his hands in exasperation. "You're hanging around Ricardo Fiby, the man that murder his own brother, what the hell am I supposed to think?"

Her eyes flash dangerously. "Don't..not yet." Her face falls. She sighs. "You should know me better than that, Victor."

Sully nods. "That's just it Fiby. I do know you." Or at least, he thought he did. "I just don't know what in the hell you're thinking. Ricardo's dangerous Fiby, you can't trust him." He doesn't completely believe that the other man isn't around, but it hardly seems to matter at this point.

She purses her lips. "I'm not stupid Victor. I know that."

He raises a brow. "Really, cause it looks to me like..."

She pulls herself off the railing and grabs his shirt. Her face is fierce and determined when she pulls him down and before he knows it, her lips are on his. He doesn't realize she's pulled him all the way into the hotel room until the door is shut behind them. He pushes her back slightly, dizzy and gulping for air. "What are you..?" Her lips move against his cheek. "I've missed you, Victor." Her breath is hot against his ear. The sensation makes his hair stand on edge.

He shakes any thought of Fiby's touch from his head. This is not what he'd come here for. "Fiby," he starts. She turns away and his hands fall uselessly against a nearby wall. The room is immaculate and as far as he can tell Fiby really is the only inhabitant. Not that he'd want to room with Ricardo either, but he wonders if the man was even staying in the same building. It seems too high class for Ricardo's kind of scum.

"He's not here Victor." Fiby informs him, back still turned. Sully watches her in confusion, had he spoken aloud? He didn't think so. He can't help admiring the view Fiby offers him as she reaches for something out a cabinet. Her long lean torso is something he's always enjoyed viewing, again he berates himself. There's a rustle then the familiar clink of glass. She pulls back with two wine glasses. Topped by a bottle of the red colored drink itself.

Sully watches the liquid slosh as she pours it into one glass then the other. He scratches at his cheek, slightly confused. "Is this why you called me here? Much as I love the wine and romance, why make such a secret thing out of it? The note was a little much, wasn't it?"

She pulls the bottle away before placing it back on the dresser, she hands him a glass. "You came didn't you?" She points out.

Sully holds the glass but doesn't drink from it. "Yeah, I also came to the bar, Fiby. If you wanted a date you could have just said so in the first place. Why involve Ricardo at all?"

"Because it's..." Her eyes cloud and she looks away. "I loved him Victor."

Sully sighs, feeling uncertain with the cool glass and uneasy feeling in his stomach. "I know." He says.

"The truth is I want, I want you.. to," She hesitates, then finishes with a lower tone. "Kill Ricardo."

Sully chokes, he's not sure on what as he hasn't had any of the wine, but does manage to spill some on the carpet. "What?" he nearly shouts.

Her eyes don't detour towards the stain of red on the white carpet. She remains focused on him. Her voice is stronger, more determined. "I want you to kill Ricardo."

Sully stares at her, feeling like he's entered the Twilight Zone. "But..why? I thought you two were..."

She waves off the thought. "Oh please, I wouldn't associate myself with that man..."

Sully cuts her off. "I get the picture. But what I don't get is why...why after all these years?"

"Do you realize how long it's taken for him to trust me?" She asks.

Sully honestly hadn't thought of that. Fiby had always captured the attention of most men without much trouble. Ricardo was one of the few exceptions. He'd never liked Fiby, that Sully could remember. She must have spent ages convincing the other man she wasn't out for revenge.

"Okay, I can see that, but I'm not an assassin..."

"It has to be you. I can't do it and don't want to involve anyone else." Fiby downs her glass. "And isn't the thought of killing that bastard something you've dream of all these years."

"Anyone would dream of offing that prick." Sully reasons.

"Exactly, but I want it to be you." Her cheeks flush from the drink. Sully watches her dark eyes as they glaze slightly. "Victor I will pay you in ways you can't even imagine."

"I'm assuming we're talking about cash, right?" Sully can't believe he's even considering this.

Fiby laughs, but it's a bitter sound. "Of course, Is there any other kind of payment for Victor Sullivan? Cash, that's the ticket, isn't it?" She pulls in closer. "There will be lots of it."

Sully doesn't know what to say, his mind is boggled by too many unanswered questions.

"You haven't brought the boy with you, have you?" Fiby suddenly asks, her voice is closer than he realizes and he startles into a half jump. He looks at her. Boy? "You mean Nate?" he asks.

She nods indifferently,as if she'd rather call him boy. Sully considers the question with apprehension. "Why?" he asks.

"I said before I don't want any unnecessary involvement."

He stares. "Nate's my partner."

Fiby laughs. "Partner, you've never been too good with those have you?"

Sully blames the drink for Fiby's loose tongue and chooses to ignore the comment.

"I mean it, Fiby." he says as firmly as he can. Fiby's look turns somber. "So do I, Victor."

"Then forget it, I'm not leaving Nate alone."

Fiby laughs. It's quiet but starts to grow in intensity until she's all but bellowing. The sound is awful and He almost growls in annoyance. "What now?" He asks irritably.

She stifles the remainder of her hysterics. "Don't you see, Victor?"

"See? What the hell are you..." He stops, the pit of his stomach drops before she even answers.

She smiles. "You already_ have_ left him alone."

* * *

Nate can't believe his luck, or lack thereof. How in the hell had he ended up in a dark, dank and creepy as hell alley again? Oh, that's right, a cat. Yes, a cat of all things had outed his position, notifying everyone within the immediate area to his presence. He'd panicked, not the best thing to do when trying to be stealthy and clearly hadn't used his head. He feared both having his leg clawed off by the feral creature and scoring the unwanted notice of some patrolling security guards. In his moment of thoughtlessness, he'd gone into the darkness below. A real dumb move, all things considered.

First, he had no idea just how long the drop was. Luckily he'd had enough sense to a roll his fall instead of land directly on his feet. The impact alone would have shattered his legs into a million pieces. Now though, he was stuck far below and on the wrong side of the wall. The darkness swallows him and he looks for a way out, only to find none. The wall is too high and flat to climb. His fingers grab at nothing he can use for leverage. There is no other option, he has to go around.

The ground is wet and sticky against his shoes. He's near a sewage runoff, by the smell of it. Probably walking through it now. He follows the wall, placing a hand on it's grimy yet cool surface so he could give himself some sense of direction. It really is dark and he can barely see past his own hand. He continues moving forward, only hoping he was heading the right way and not a dead end.

The metal of the gun is suddenly ice cold and very noticeable on his back. Nate's never been afraid of the dark so his sudden feeling of claustrophobia is not one he understands or particularly enjoys. The pit of his stomach feels queasy for some reason. He blames it on the stench of bad eggs and rotted food but the feeling won't seem to leave him, no matter how much he tries to shakes it.

He hears the clicking of tiny claws against the pavement and can only groan as he makes out the familiar glow of rat eyes. They scurry in and out of hiding. One even manages to shoot over his foot and he kicks it away in disgust.

"Thanks for being such a hard ass, Sully." He growls to the night air. He needs to blame someone right now and he feels it's only right for it to be Sully. When he feels the second vermin scurrying somewhere by his other foot. he finally loses it. "Get off." he snaps at it irritably. His voice raises louder than he'd intended and the echo seems to last longer than it should. He glances around, though he can't see anything, expecting..he's not sure what. For Sully to come and tell him to be quiet he's trying to get laid, or shot or whatever? He shakes his head. The police, he decides. He doesn't want the police to find him, skulking in a dark alley by himself. They're the real reason he's down here anyways.

His hair stands on edge, he assumes he's imagining it, but he swears he sees a shadow move. He gulps, moves further down and hopes his senses have just heightened in the dark. He continues on, wondering if he'd managed to find the longest alleyway in the world when he unexpectedly soaks half his leg in a giant, unseen pothole.

"Ah, come on." he groans as he pulls his leg out and over towards hopefully solid and less wet ground.

He spends a minuet squeezing the water so it doesn't weigh him down like an anchor, when he hears the rattle of a trash lid behind him. He would roll his eyes at the stereotypical spooks if he wasn't suddenly so damn worried. Something wasn't right. And it wasn't just his imagination, someone or something was following him. He watches the darkness behind him, but still can't see very much.

"Great." he mumbles to himself.

He figures the best course of action is to pretend he doesn't know, while trying even harder to find a place to at least hide. He gets about three feet before he almost bumps into what he at first assumes is another trashcan but turns out to be a person.

"You lost?"He can almost hear the smirk in his voice, thick with an accent.

Nate can make out the tall silhouette and wonders how long the guy has been waiting there. Maybe he's a bum? He tries reassuring himself with that thought, after all it is possible. Then the man speaks again.

"Why don't you come with me?"

Or not. Pedophile was more like it, but Nate knew better, this guy wasn't a random alley lurker. This must have been part of Fiby or Ricardo or whoever's plan. He can't help but sigh. "Sorry pal, my daddy always told me not to talk to strangers. You'll have to find another boy to take home."

There's a tsk. "Oh that's too bad. Although it would be so much easier if you came along quietly."

Nate shakes his head although he knows the man probably can't see it too well. "Sorry, not today."

There's a click and before Nate can even think properly he propels himself through the startled man's legs. The man curses in Spanish and yells something that's replied by another voice. Nate curses himself, there's at least two of them.

This has an all too familiar feeling to it. Nate can't say he's become used to it but the feeling of being chased is getting just a bit too familiar. If he thought hanging around Sully was going to change that, Nate almost grinned, well that certainly wasn't the case.

His legs pick up speed and he runs blindly through the darkness only glad that he won't be the only one having trouble seeing, then he sees the beginning of light. He nearly cries for joy when the first bullet whizzes past his head.

"You have got to be shitting me." He wails. They're shooting at him in the dark, meaning his life is forfeit in the scheme of things. Dead or alive, it doesn't matter. He grabs for his own gun, but knows it's not really going to help unless he randomly hits one of the many possible men following him. The footsteps are loud and Nate tries to judge just how far back they are. Another bullet just barely misses his left soaked leg and has him picking up speed. Clearly, not far enough.

As soon as he can see the lights from car's passing the side street he picks up even faster. Being able to see better he grabs onto the first low edge he's found in what feels like forever and vaults himself up the wall. He can still hear the voices behind him but he shimmies across the upper edge and climbs to the roof.

He keeps going until he's certain he's no longer being followed and continues at a steady pace, mind racing. He's moving farther than ever from the Hotel, he knows that's were they'll be expecting him to go. Sully is his first priority though and he has to be in danger.

Nate nearly screams in frustration, torn on what to do. If he heads towards the Hotel he's liable to get caught again but he can't just sit on his hands and hope for the best either. It's worse now because he knows without a doubt that their trying to kill him, probably Sully too.

"You better not be dead." He threatens to the absent man. Nate wonders just how long they'd been following him. His mind was so preoccupied with Sully, he must not have noticed. He grabs at his jeans in annoyance. The gun is still in his hands, but for some reason it offers no comfort.

Then he feels the something, something cold and heavy at the back of his head. It doesn't take long to figure out what it is. A gun.

"Unbelievable, you guys must be magicians or something." Or they're more spread throughout the city, which seemed more likely.

"Shut up." The voice whispers. Nate is surprised to find he recognizes it. The accent and slight slur to the words, it's that prick Ricardo. He'd come to finish him off himself.

"Doing the dirty work for your little lady?" Nate can't help but sneer. The pressure on his skull heightens as the chamber of the gun is forced even closer.

"I said shut up!" the man commands. "I wouldn't do that bitch's dirty work if it was the last thing on earth."

Nate stares out the corner of his eye. He can't even see Ricardo, but he can feel the man's anger. "What?" he asks. He thought they were a team.

Ricardo makes a half bark that Nate supposes is his laugh. "Can't say the same for old Sullivan, though."

Nate feels his pulse quicken. He licks his suddenly dry lips. "What?" he asks again, feeling like a brain dead, broken record. "What's this got to do with Sully?"

Ricardo doesn't respond. Nate thinks he's trying to come up with an answer but something else happens instead. Everything goes from lightening fast to slow motion when an exploding pain hits the back of Nate's head. He knows he's falling but all he can see and feel is darkness.

Nate hears one more word before he completely blacks out.

"Everything."

* * *

Another short chapter...Let me know what you think guys. Thanks :)


	4. Chapter 4

_Thanks for the feedback everyone. It really helps._

_Some serious language in this chapter, you've been warned.  
_

Underhanded Measures_  
_

* * *

Chapter 4_  
_

* * *

Sully reaches for his gun without a second thought. Fiby doesn't look impressed, worried or anything past amused.

"Oh Victor, honestly, put that away." she tsks at him.

He steadies his hold firmer on the grip being sure to point it directly at her perfectly sculpted face, in between her two coal black eyes. "What the hell did you do Fiby?" He's not sure what to accuse her of yet, so he does the only thing he can and hopes she'll confess herself.

"Don't get yourself all worked up Victor, I haven't done anything." She almost laughs and Sully can feel his hold on the trigger tighten. Along with his temper. "I'm done fucking around with you Fiby, now tell me the _Goddamn_ truth!"

Fiby sighs. "Victor, it doesn't have to be like this." She gives an irritated huff. "If you weren't such a stubborn fool I wouldn't have to stoop to such measures."

"This has nothing to do with Nate," he snaps, feeling like the world is standing still and his head is the one spinning.

Fiby regards him, her head leans to one side. "You really care about that boy don't you?" She sweeps a stray ebony lock from her face. "From what I heard you picked him off the streets, Not something I knew you were even capable of Victor. Consideration for others."

The laugh is sharp in Sully's throat. "From what you heard? Been keeping tabs on me, Fiby?"

Fiby gives a half shake of the head. "Not really, but you know how word spreads."

"If you look for it, sure." Sully persists.

Fiby shrugs indifferently. "Very well I will admit to doing a bit of spying on the both of you. I was curious as to your relationship with this no name boy.." She holds a hand to Sully's attempted rebuttal. "And yes, I am aware of Mr._ Drakes_ delusions of grandeur, but I guess we'll have to let him learn the hard way you can't make up a heritage..."

"If you know so goddamn much then why haven't you tried this before, you could have found better ways to use Nate against me." Sully demands.

Fiby sighs and places a hand to her temple feigning a headache, no doubt a metaphor for Sully's ignorance. "Because I had to see your interaction for myself." she says.

Sully shakes his head. Fiby clearly had more issues than he was aware of. "That is the stupidest..."

"Save your comments, Victor." She warns before heading towards the phone. She smiles and strokes the white receiver with a well manicured finger. "Or I might not let you speak to him."

Sully resists the urge to rush the woman and pummel her into oblivion. His anger is rising and he tries hard to keep his level calm. His gun is a reassuring weight and he keep it pointed at her. "What have you done to him? Where is he? If you hurt one hair..."

He's cut off by the phone, which gives two curt rings. Fiby looks at it almost fondly. The look sends all kinds of bad signals in Sully's head. "Who's that?" he demands, pointing the gun from her to the phone.

Fiby continues her movements before giving the plastic surface a light tap. "Just a little call about a poor little stray taken in to an unfortunate mess. If you behave you might get to speak with him. Would you like that?"

If it's about Nate, Sully doesn't have time for Fiby's nonsense. "Just pick up the goddamn phone." he demands in a hiss, the gun now back on her.

"If you insist." she says before picking up the receiver. She gives an answer in English then switches to Spanish, no doubt so Sully wouldn't be unable to understand. He catches a few words, but is unable to fully translate what she's saying. Her tone is pleasant at first, but as she continues her face drops. Suddenly something snaps and she goes into a panic.

Her words switch to English in her anger. "What do you mean, he got away!" she all but screams. "Disappeared? How does one simply disappear?

At first, anger flashes red and Sully wants desperately to rip the phone from Fiby's hand to yell and track down the sons of bitches who attacked Nate himself. Then another feeling sets in. Relief. He finds relief in Fiby's hysteria and the word _disappeared_. Nate had outwitted Fiby's would be captors. Whoever these people were, they were clearly no match for him. Sully can't help a feeling of pride, despite the situation.

"Well then find him and don't you dare shoot at him again. I told you I wanted him alive... I don't care how fast he is. Do you understand me?" She slams the receiver down.

"Well isn't that a damn, son of a bitch." Sully sneers once the receiver is back in its cradle. "Looks like your professional, hired goons got outwitted by a little, no name boy."

Fiby glares in anger. She purses her lips roughly together then manages a bitter, ugly smile. "Looks like you trained him well."

As much as Sully would like to take the credit for Nate's abilities, he knew the boy was limber and quick on his own. Sully merely worked on the business and financial side of it, making the money. Not that he'll tell her that. He's taking the credit just to piss some more on her parade. "You really underestimated him Fiby. If you've been having people watch us then you should have know better. He is my partner, after all."

"They'll find him Victor, it's only a matter of time." Fiby tries her best not to look irritated, but the throbbing vein on her temple gives her away.

"Don't blow a vessel there, sweetheart. It was a nice try, but give it up, your plan didn't work. Nate's probably well hidden and I'm not going to kill Ricardo, so how about you hire these goons you tried to kill Nate with and have them do it instead?" He shrugged his hands. "Problem solved."

"No, it's not." Fiby answers flatly.

"What are you talking about? Sounds like a great plan to me."

"It can't end like that..." Fiby murmurs softly.

"You really think I want justice that bad?" He shakes his head. "Ricardo's a murdering dick, but I'd just as well you hire someone for your dirty work, revenge, or whatever. I don't want to be involved with it." He points a finger at her. "And I can guarantee, neither does Nate. Call off your goons Fiby and tell them to go after the real asshole here. Or better yet kill me, I know you blame me for it too."

Fiby doesn't have a chance to respond. The phone rings again and from the confused lift of her brow, Fiby's not sure why. She picks it up and answers a hello, then immediately rolls her eyes at the caller. Her tone remains sweet thought her eyes glare daggers. "Ricardo darling I thought we discussed that you weren't to call me until..." She stills then looks at Sully in even more confusion. "Ricardo, I don't know what you're talking about, Victor isn't.."

Sully's interest piques at the use of his name. Fiby pulls the phone closer, assuredly in hopes that Sully can't hear her, but he can. He hears every hushed word. "No I'm serious Ricardo, I told you Victor was only here to help with the job and nothing else. I'm not lying Ricardo and how dare you suggest it. I'm your partner in this, remember?"

She continues for a good minuet longer, denying Sully's presence to the point that even Sully is tired of hearing her say it. He's across the room before Fiby can process exactly how and the receiver is pulled from her surprised, lax grip. She's not even able to fight him when he answers into the device.

"Ricardo?"

There's a slight pause and a great deal of fuzz. "Knew you were with that bitch Sullivan. I have to say you don't disappoint."

"Cut the bullshit, Lopez. What the hell is this all about? What are you two cooking up?" Sully asks, his voice deep with anger and annoyance.

They both wait for the static to wan slightly, Ricardo's no doubt on a payphone and the reception sounds like it might break at any moment. Sully thinks it does for a moment when the phone goes silent, then he's assaulted by a laugh so loud his ears feel like they might rupture. "You're just like that stupid kid, haven't you realized that I don't work with that bitch? From the rumors I've heard she'd trying to rub me out too." Ricardo spits before continuing. "Seems your going to help her with that part, eh?"

Sully glares at Fiby who isn't quite looking at him but still listening. "Really, well sorry to disappoint. As much as I'd like to put a bullet in your ugly mug, I'm afraid my moral values won't let me do something like that, murdering isn't really my thing. Besides I'm wearing my best shoes, I'd hate to dirty them up."

Ricardo doesn't sound amused. "Always the smart ass huh? Well how's this for ya?"

Sully listens as Ricardo falls silent then another voice picks up in the background. An annoyed, violent and apparently uncooperative voice that he knows all to well. Nate.

"...I'm not gonna say that, you bastard. Can't you people come up with anything more original than this, a phone hostage negation?"

There's a loud grunt followed by a cry of pain.

"Nate?" Sully yells into the phone. Nate must have heard him for he makes out a yell. "Don't do or listen to anything this bastard tells you, Sully. He's a lying scumbag..." Then everything goes quiet again.

Ricardo returns to the phone after a minuet and a half, but he's clearly out of breath. "Little fuck." He spits again. Sully wants to laugh at whatever Nate's done to Ricardo, but he knows it's not the time and he wouldn't get anything but grief for it. Ricardo's a hell of a lot more likely to kill Nate than Fiby is. He's more familiar with actually pulling a trigger.

"So I assume you know the stakes then Sullivan?" Ricardo asks, breaking Sully's spontaneous stupor.

Yeah, Sully knew. He scrubs at his neck feeling beyond agitated, "Fine, what the hell do you want Ricardo?"

Ricardo sucks in a breath. "I want you and that filthy bitch to suffer, just like I have. Meet me at the place it began and maybe the kid will live. You have twenty four hours." He answers airily.

"What?" Sully asks. What the hell does that mean? Suffer? The only thing Ricardo's probably ever suffered from was heartburn. The prick doesn't even have a soul to suffer with. And just where is the place it all began, anyway? That was way too poetic and more than a little confusing.

Sully doesn't realize he's yelling repeatedly into dead air until he's cut off by the dial tone blaring loudly, signaling the lost connection. He tosses the receiver back into the cradle with disgust. "That son of a bitch." he seethes at the inanimate object, wishing it was Ricardo's head and he could crush it.

He turns on Fiby who looks oddly quiet and dare he say it, frightened. "I hope both you pricks burn in hell. As far as I'm concerned you deserve each other." he growls at her.

Fiby remains still and meek."I guess he has the boy then." she states quietly.

"Good guess there, sweetheart." Sully gives her a mock congratulatory bow. He aims the gun at her head. "Now how about we stop with the mind games and you tell me where he is..."

"I, I don't know, Victor I swear. This wasn't supposed to happen like this. He wasn't supposed to know. I don't know how he found out or who told him. I don't know..' She sounded near hysterical and as far as Sully was concerned, it served her right. Her intentions had been understandable and well until she'd involved Nate. Now she could rot with Ricardo in a pit somewhere for all he cared.

Knowing Nate was with Ricardo put a hole in Sully's stomach, in a sick way he almost wished it had been Fiby's goons that had found him first. Ricardo would kill Nate without a second thought.

Fiby continues to ramble, but Sully doesn't care about care about her right now. Right now, he has two things to do. Find Ricardo and get Nate back.

He looks down at the forlorn Fiby with nothing but disdain. "You're going to help me find that asshole, if it's the last thing you do."

All she could do is give a slight nod.

* * *

Nate remembers little of the past few hours. His mind is dark, hazy and his head feels like lead. The world is moving, jostling his stomach to and fro, so much so that he feels like he'll be sick. His head hurts, his body hurts, but most of all his ears hurt. His brain feels like it's made of cotton and his body feels like it's floating. He can feel the material underneath him and knows somewhere in his mind that he's on a chair of some kind. The cloth is rough and coarse under his fingers, but real enough that he feels he can at least open his eyes, now that he's more awake than before. He does so and immediately regrets it.

Everything is shaking and giving him double vision, he has to steady himself or he honestly will throw up. It's not easy, but Nate does manages to sit upright. Feeling like everything is moving in slow motion, despite what his vision and brain are telling him.

"What the hell?" He has no idea why everything's moving and why it feels like he's entered the area surrounding the sun. It's hotter than he ever remembers and his eyes are burning with the heat to the point that everything looks like it's on fire, feels like it too.

Then he realizes why. The small confined area, shaking, and the radiating heat, accompanied by the loud sounds from an engine. It's a plane. One better look around confirms this. Question was what the hell was he doing on a plane. Was Sully flying? Another disoriented look and he knew that no, Sully was not flying, but there was someone looking at him. Someone who was also, not Sully.

"Who the hell are you?" The words escape before Nate realizes how delirious he must be to bait a man that looks like he eats small children for breakfast. He receives barred teeth and what can only be an animal growl in return.

"Um, right." He tries to clear his eyes of the searing pain and blurred vision but finds they're bound. "Well that's great." He turns back to the animal of a man. "Did you do this?' he questions him. He feels groggy, like he's been drugged. His words slur.

"No, I did."

Nate turns at the sound, he feels like he's been shaken and has to give his brain a second to catch up with the rest of him. Stars clear from his vision and he's not too happy to acknowledge his recognition of the surly individual. The asshole and apparent kidnapper, Ricardo. "Oh, it's you." he answers dully.

The mammoth guy looks like he wants to hit Nate but Ricardo, holds his hand at him. The man complies and Nate laughs. "What, this your trained monkey or something?" Nate knows he should shut up but he tends to talk when he's panicked, which he is right now.

Now he can't stop, his slurring makes him sound drunk. "First you follow me into the bathroom, then grab me in the alley and now you've given me ruffies. Man you really got a thing for me, don't ya? Sorry to burst your bubble pal, I don't swing that way."

"Cute." Ricardo aims the gun at Nate's head. "Keep it up and I'll show you just how much I do like you. And how much I'd like even more to see your brains splattered allover that chair, got it?"

"Yeah, I got it. Seems like a big mess though. Not to mention you'll kind of lose your whole bargaining chip." Nate reasons.

Ricardo's nostril flares, "I could just take your tongue out then, that would make it easier for both of us."

Nate didn't see how that would be easier for _him_ but decided it was best to back off anyway. "Fine, I'll be quiet."

Ricardo's eye twitches but he doesn't say anything. Nate notices the size of the craft is pretty small, one of those personal planes rich people had. Although this craft was anything but nice. It's rundown and beat up, like everything else in Nate's life recently.

He's finding it hard to piece together the last few hours, how he got on this plane, obviously not of his own free will, and what had happened to Sully. Last Nate remembers he'd heard him on the phone when Ricardo had wanted Nate to plead for his life to Sully like a helpless victim. Which he most certainly was not. A black eye was his reward for that stunt. Ricardo had a mean face and an even meaner right hook. Nate tries to keep his mind from jumping to any negative conclusions as to Sully's well being and he instead searches for something he can cut his bindings with. He feels Ricardo's partners eyes on him the entire time.

He can only take it for so long. "Can you please tell freak man over there to stop starring at me? It's really creeping me out."

Ricardo slams his seat. "I thought I told you to shut up."

Nate sighs and leans his head back. "I did, I just can't take it anymore."

Ricardo looks at him for a long minuet through slanted eyes. "I think you piss me off more than Sullivan does."

Nate piques a brow.

"And that is not a good thing." Ricardo adds.

Nate shrugs. "I don't get why you hate Sully so much." Truth was, Nate didn't know anything. Sully had been closed lipped and Ricardo just threw out random outbursts of blaming Sully for something that hadn't been explained to him yet.

"Because he's a lying, murdering son of a bitch, that's why."

Nate tries not to look surprised but judging by Ricardo's ugly grin, he fails. "Bet you didn't know you were teamed up with a murderer, did you?" He studies the barrel of his gun then adds. "Or maybe you did?"

Nate observes him, Ricardo's hands are shaking in anger. Nate shakes his head. "No, but I'm sure whoever it was deserved it."

That nearly sends Ricardo over the edge. He jumps up and seems to forget their in a fast moving and unstable plane. The recollection of this sends him back to his seat but his face is livid with anger. "Don't you ever say that! My brother was a fucking good man. A piece of shit like you can't become even half the man he was."

"Your brother?" Nate can't help but stumble over the word.

Ricardo sneers. "Fucking disgusting isn't it? Just like the scum you hang around with. So let's just say I'm gonna take a little something from Sullivan that he took from me."

Nate doesn't have to guess what that means. "Killing me won't bring your brother back."

"No shit, but at least I'll get a kick out of it. Far as I'm concerned you're just another annoying ass punk that the world would be better off without. Another person screwing the system for their own personal gain."

Nate stares, the guys getting more agitated as he talks. Worse, he sounds serious, like he means every word. There's a sharp jolt that sends Nate's stomach back into his throat. He shakes off the wave of dizziness just as someone shouts something from the front.

"Watch it, you asshole." Ricardo yells at the pilot.

Nate can't see anything but the back of the guys head and he gives Ricardo the finger. It seems like they're lowering in altitude, which brings the question, where were they headed? Ricardo's holding his gun like he really wants to use it so Nate doesn't ask this question and instead tries to look out the window, but it's useless, he can't see anything.

"How does it feel?"

Nate licks his lips, he more than a little dehydrated. "What?" he asks. "How does what feel."

It takes a moment to realize it's the other guys who's talking, his accent is thick and his voice grates like sandpaper on Nate's ears.

The man's purple lips split into a shit eating grin. "To know this is the last place you'll ever see."

Nate's heart is pounding, along with his head. He doesn't know if the guy's kidding or not. "Honestly, not all that great."

The man snorts. "You're dumber than you look."

Nate doesn't even blink. "Right back at ya."

"Enough," Ricardo warns them both before the man can do anything aside from glare. He speaks to the man in Spanish, not knowing that Nate can understand him or simply not caring. "Pedro, this kid isn't going to make this easy. Little shits more trouble than he's worth."

Pedro looks at Nate in disgust. "What should we do with him till Sullivan shows up?"

Ricardo smirks. "We're going to have a little fun."

Nate doesn't like the sounds of that. "Look, I'm sure you two gents are great guys, when you're not abducting and murdering people, of course. Can't we just discuss this like civilized people. You talk with Sully, hash out your feelings and go have a drink together or something. The past is the past after all. Does there really need to be any more bloodshed?"

"How many times do I have to tell you to shut up?" Ricardo readies to backhand him with the gun but stops. He seems to get another idea and lowers it instead. Nate's relieved until he realizes Ricardo' not putting it away, he's aiming it at Nate's leg.

"You know why I brought Pedro here?" Ricardo leans in and asks, his voice almost a whisper.

"To feel better about yourself?" Nate offers, knowing he's possibly looking into the face of death, but still not backing down.

Ricardo shakes his head. "I needed someone to carry your pathetic body."

Nate gulps. "You don't have to do that. I can walk." He offers weakly.

"Not anymore you can't."

There's a pain so white hot and blinding that Nate doesn't even register that it's hit him until he sees the smoke from the gun barrel. He gasps over a scream and can't get anything else out. The only thing he can feel is the burn of the bullet and the fact that he's been shot.


End file.
